1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information recording and reproducing apparatus which can reproduce information from a record medium such as an optical disc and the like and re-record the reproduced information onto the original record medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
A home video tape recorder enables a television broadcast to be easily recorded.
For example, in case of recording a television broadcast such as a television drama which is broadcasted once a week and has a content successive in the respective broadcast times, video tapes are preparedly recorded with only the television drama successive in all the weekly broadcast times, and they are kept in the broadcasted order.
However, in order to record and keep the television drama successive in all the weekly broadcast times, it is necessary that the video tapes have the total length in which all the successive broadcasts can be recorded. At this time, it is necessary to keep a vast amount of video tapes, depending on the condition. This results in a problem that a cost is expensive and also a wide space is needed as a storage space.
As a method of reducing the amount of the video tapes necessary for the storage, for example, it may be considered to compress the broadcast program, which is once recorded and reproduced, and thereby drop a record rate (actually, in a case of a video tape recorder, a tape recorded at a standard mode is converted into a tape of a triple mode) and re-record it onto the video tape dedicated to the storage. However, this method needs two video recorders for reproducing the recorded broadcast program and for re-recording it. Thus, this method also has a problem that a cost is expensive and an unnecessary time for the reproducing and recording operation is necessary.
The present invention is proposed in view of the above mentioned problems. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an information recording and reproducing apparatus which can re-record a recorded broadcast program and the like onto a storage record medium in a relatively easy and space-saving manner, and which can reduce a usage amount (or the number of uses) of the storage record medium.
The above object of the present invention can be also achieved by an information recording and reproducing apparatus provided with: a reproducing device for reproducing information, which is recorded on a record medium such as an optical disc in advance; a compressing device such as a video encoder, an audio encoder etc., for compressing the reproduced information to reduce an information amount of the reproduced information and generating a compression information; and a recording device for re-recording the generated compression information onto the record medium.
According to the present invention, since the reproduced information is re-recorded as the compression information after the compressing process, it is possible to reduce the area on the record medium which is required for re-recording the information after the reproducing process. Thus, it is possible to reduce the number of the record mediums required for the preservation of the information. Further, it is possible to re-record the information without using two apparatuses i.e., the information reproducing apparatus and the information recording device. Thus, it is possible to prevent the apparatus from unnecessarily occupying the installation space, and to produce the record medium dedicated for the preservation of the information.
In one aspect of the present invention, an information recording and reproducing apparatus is further provided with a storing device such as a buffer for temporarily storing the reproduced information and successively outputting the stored information to the compressing device.
According to this aspect, since the reproduced information is temporarily stored into the storing device and is sequentially read out therefrom, the compression information can be continuously generated so as to re-record the compression information even if the search of the reproduction position is required when reproducing the information.
In another aspect of the present invention, an information recording and reproducing apparatus is further provided with a storing device such as a buffer for temporarily storing the generated compression information and successively outputting the stored information to the recording device.
According to this aspect, since the generated compression information is temporarily stored into the storing device, is sequentially read out therefrom and is re-recorded, the information can be continuously reproduced even if the search of the record position is required when re-recording the compression information.
In another aspect of the present invention, an information recording and reproducing apparatus is further provided with a controlling device such as a CPU for controlling the recording device to re-record the generated compression information onto the record medium at a record position, which is within an already-recorded area on the record medium where the reproduced information has been recorded.
According to this aspect, it is possible to re-record the compression information while reproducing the information even if there exists no non-recorded area (where the reproduced information has never been recorded) on the record medium when the original information is recorded.
In this aspect, the controlling device may control the recording device to start re-recording from a lead of the already-recorded area.
In this case, it is possible to re-record the compression information by efficiently using the recordable area on the record medium.
In another aspect of the present invention, an information recording and reproducing apparatus is further provided with a controlling device such as a CPU for controlling the recording device to re-record the generated compression information onto the record medium at a record position, which is within a non-recorded area on the record medium where the reproduced information has never been recorded.
According to this aspect, since the compression information can be recorded while the reproduced information remains (i.e., not erased or overwritten) on the record medium, it is possible to resume the compression process etc., by reproducing again the information to be compressed even if an occurrence of a power failure in the middle of the compression process etc., of the information causes the compression process to be interrupted.
In another aspect of the present invention, an information recording and reproducing apparatus is further provided with a controlling device such as a CPU for controlling the recording device to (i) temporarily record the generated compression information onto the record medium at a record position, which is within a non-recorded area on the record medium where the reproduced information has never been recorded, (ii) record the temporarily recorded compression information onto the record medium at a record position, which is within an already-recorded area on the record medium where the reproduced information has been recorded when the reproducing device finishes reproducing the information larger by a predetermined amount than the temporarily recorded compression information, and (iii) then record the compression information, which is newly generated by the compressing device, onto the record medium at a record position, which is within an area on the record medium where the temporarily recorded compression information has been temporarily recorded.
According to this aspect, since the newly generated compression information is recorded in the area where the temporarily recorded compression information has been temporarily recorded, it is possible to record the compression information even if there does not exist a sufficient original non-recorded area on the record medium. Further, since the temporarily recorded compression information is re-recorded into the already-recorded area where the pertinent reproduced information has been recorded when the reproducing device finishes reproducing the information larger by a predetermined amount than the temporarily recorded compression information, the information, which has been just reproduced, is not erased or overwritten by recording the compression information thereon right after the pertinent information is reproduced. It is possible to resume the compression process etc., by reproducing again the information to be compressed even if an occurrence of a power failure in the middle of the compression process etc., of the information causes the compression process to be interrupted.
The nature, utility, and further features of this invention will be more clearly apparent from the following detailed description with respect to preferred embodiments of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings briefly described below.